Infanticide of Females in India

Every day a baby is killed because it isn’t the gender the parents preferred. In third world countries such as India infanticide of females is common. There have been laws outlawing both infanticide and determining the sex of babies if it is not medically necessary, however it still continues. The killing of female babies has led to many ethical and social issues. Infanticide has also lead to an imbalance in the ratio of men to woman in India. For every 100 males born there are 105 females born however, most females are killed within 3 days after their birth making the new ratio 93 females for every 100 males.(Girish p1) Even though laws and programs have been established to decrease the number of female infanticide it still continues.

In India in 1994 determining the sex of fetuses was outlawed if it wasn’t deemed medically necessary. (Jones p2) However, ultrasounds are still used to determine the sex of a baby illegally. Couples and doctors alike make excuses and come up with cover stories to justify an ultrasound. Some think that outlawing ultrasounds altogether would decrease the number female infanticide because it would make it more difficult to get an ultrasound. Even though ultrasounds are used to save lives of babies in India they are more known to kill babies. “Ultrasounds are used to save 1 out of 20,000 babies and kill 20 out of every 100 because it reveals the baby is the wrong gender.”(Girish p2) However ultrasounds are not the only way a couple can find out the sex of their baby prenatally. At home tests that tell parents the gender of their baby are sold online from a site that is based in the United States. The tests cost $25 and can detect the sex of a fetus as early as five weeks into a pregnancy. The mother supplies 3 drops of blood pricked from her finger on a test strip and mails the test plus $250 dollars for processing. Two days later the parents can log on to the site where the results of the test are announced and find out the sex of their baby.(Snider p1) Couples that are determined not to have a female child will find ways to ensure that they do not despite what laws they might be breaking.

If a couple knows the sex of the baby prenatally and are not happy with sex they often resort to abortions or other methods of infanticide. In India abortions are considered a business too many doctors a business which is “low risk and high in profit.”(Girish p2) In India a woman can get an abortion for about 1,500 rupees which is equitant to about $33 even though abortions are illegal doctor’s still perform them daily. “About 11.2 million illegal abortions are performed each year off the record. Such abortions are often "female feticide," experts say.”(Girish p3) “If a couple can’t choose a child’s sex prenatally, they can see a dai like Devi. For 80 cents, says Devi, who is now retired, a dai will help a woman give birth. For 80 cents more, she will take a newborn girl, hold her upside down by the waist and give a sharp jerk, snapping the spinal cord. She will then declare the infant stillborn”. (Carmichael p1) Other parents kill the newborn female themselves or have a family member usually a mother in law do it for them. The native oleander plant in India is a common poison and is forced down the female newborn’s throat to kill them.(Girish p4)

The problem of sex selection is only being made worse by new methods such as “parental genetic diagnosis, (PGD) can be used for sex selection, PGD does not have the ethical drawback nor lead to the stressful experience of abortion. However, the method requires IVF and is therefore both costly and invasive.” (Van Balen p2) A newer method that is less invasive called flow cytometry is also available. Flow cyctometry separates Y-bearing sperm from X-bearing although it is not a 100% guaranteed. “There is still a chance of having a child of the non-desired sex, although the method does considerably increase the chance that one’s future child will have the sex one desires; about 75% for boys and 90% for girls.” (Van Balen p2) The medical industry sees money to be made, and with disregard to the greater good they continue to create methods that only further infanticide. The government of India is taking measures to stop couples from killing female infants while pharmaceutical companies and doctors are making it easier.

It is a lot more expensive to have a daughter then a son which is an attributing factor to female infanticide. Wedding cost plus the additional expense of dowry is about a million rupees ($35,000) or more. The average person in India makes about 100,000 rupees a year (3,500). (Girish p2) Another reason sons are valued more is because they can work in the fields and help support